It’s always a pleasure to sculpt one of the great iconic characters of the history of comics and so when Shawn Knapp at DC Entertainment asked me if I’d like to sculpt Wonder Woman, I was thrilled. It was also really nice that it was going to be a Jim Lee rendition of the character. Jim’s work in the comics industry is legendary. I had worked with him on his W.I.L.D.C.A.T.s character Grifter years ago and I knew his input would be invaluable. Even at a 7” height, I wanted to put as much into this piece as I do on larger pieces, so I hope the in progress photos reflect that.

As it turned out, working with Shawn and Jim was smooth as silk. I hope you find the in progress pics interesting and that you enjoy seeing the Wonder Woman we all had a part in bringing to you.

At this point, I’m establishing the finished look to the body. Once I’m fairly comfortable with it, I’ll sculpt and add the head. The head is key in establishing the feel of the character in the sculptor’s mind. I might have added the head earlier, but I become involved in getting the body where I want it and it’s hard to break away. Even though it looks fairly finished out, I may still change things once the head is added.

Lady Death has a well known look and some artists make her more and less voluptuous than others. I like the approach that Richard Ortiz used and it was consistent with my feel for the character, so I’m sculpting her with full, athletic hips and lower body and a strong back while maintaining the sensuality she’s known for.

I should mention here that the armature is coming out of her lower abdomen a bit. This happens sometimes and doesn’t affect the piece. I’ll sand that out and finish out that area after baking.

Top Cow has some terrific characters to add to the Little Minxies line and for the first one, the choice was down to Aphrodite IX and Witchblade. Manny Carrasco started to do some sketching and when I saw his thumbnail, I knew our choice was made. Witchblade will definitely be a part of the Little Minxies line, but AIX was the one to do now.

Here are Manny’s prelims and his finished piece.

Below is the first set of pics in progress of the Aphrodite IX Little Minxies sculpture. We’ll have more in a couple of days.

CSM

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Stop by our CS Moore Studio booth #2800 at San Diego Comic Con July 17-21, 2013 to pick up the Little Minxies Aphrodite IX print and see the final Little Minxies Aphrodite IX Statue in person!

As you can see, I’m building up the figure and starting to define the musculature. As is normal in the way I work, I don’t work on the arms until much later because they get in the way and sometimes I use the wire to stabilize my hands as I sculpt. If you click on each photo you can see the image larger.

When Brian Pulido and I decided to do another Lady Death project, I couldn’t have been happier. Lady Death is one of the most well known female characters in independent comics and she’s always a terrific subject to sculpt.

I had seen some illustrations Richard Ortiz had done for Brian’s Coffin Comics and I was absolutely blown away by the look of the Lady Death La Muerta piece. I thought this would make for an incredible look as a sculpture.

I wanted to have Lady Death in a pose that was regal and striking, reflecting the power and majesty of the character, so I sent Brian several pose ideas including the one shown below (5a), which he and I agreed was the one to do. The pose idea (5a) is a 6” maquette which is used for a basic 360 view of the pose. La Muerta is a stunning, haunting look, so as you watch the piece develop, try to imagine her with the look you see above.

Since I wanted this to be a striking piece, I’m sculpting her very tall, which she would be in her heels. This piece is a full 13” tall in the original form, although it will reduce a bit in production.

We’re trying to finish the prototype for debut at Comic Con International: San Diego July 17 and it’s going to be close. We may have only a resin casting or it may not be finished in time at all. Hope you like her and you get a kick out of seeing her develop!

Welcome to the Jurassic Strike Force 5 Action Figure Sneak Peek, featuring the second character in the line: Spike! The figures are based on characters from Zenescope’s/Silver Dragon Books’ popular Jurassic Strike Force 5 comic book series by Joe Brusha. Action figure art direction by Clayburn Moore; sculpted by Josh Sutton.

“For Rex’s teammate Spike, I contacted Josh Sutton, who we’ve worked with before and who also has toy experience,” said Clayburn. “He’s experienced with articulation and mechanical details, so I felt he was a good choice. On seeing how the figure is progressing, he’s proven to be an excellent choice.”

ABOUT THE SERIES:Jurassic Strike Force 5 begins with evil alien overlord Zalex and his army of highly advanced reptiles being awakened after 100 million years of entrapment within the ice of Antarctica. Having combined Earth’s Jurassic reptiles with alien technology, Zalex has created a seemingly unstoppable force of mutated dinosaur warriors ready to conquer the Universe. But there is one thing that might be able to stop Zalex and his powerful army and that one thing is Jurassic Strike Force, another group of alien enhanced dinosaurs who have sworn to protect both humanity and the rest of the universe from Zalex’s evil plans.

Below are pics of the finished, unpainted figure, and then the fully-painted piece.

Welcome to the Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide Action Figure Blog! This is an exciting series by Zenescope Entertainment that has led to what I hope you agree is a very cool action figure line co-produced by The CS Moore Studio and Zenescope. — CSM

Here’s the Monster Hunter Story:

“The Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide is the comprehensive guide every Monster Hunter must have! The guide covers the strengths and weakness of every known and unknown monster on earth or otherwise. Monster hunters will find it packed with tips on how to take down these creatures, or if they should steer clear of the beasts. Whether they are a weekend Bigfoot hunter or a hardcore Vampire slayer, this guide will help keep even a novice hunter alive.”